5783/2023
This week's Parashah, Parashat VaYikra, talks about bringing
Korbanot either from בקר, a herd, or from צאן, a flock. When
bringing a Korban from בקר, however, one must lay their hand
upon the animal's head to gain forgiveness. This idea is not
mentioned at all when taking an animal from a flock. Why
would this be so? Is there some kind of connection between בקר
and doing teshuva?
To start, we should define what exactly בקר and צאן are.
According to sefaria.org quoting the Klein Dictionary (by Ezra Klein), צאן are usually a group of sheep and goats, while בקר are
herds, cattle, or oxen. We can find two examples throughout
Tanach of sheep used for holy purposes. Our first example can
be found in a Rashi on Shmuel Alef 15:4, when Shaul HaMelech
takes a census using lambs instead of counting directly. We find
a second proof in the beginning of the תורה. When Kayin and
Hevel bring their respective offerings, Hevel brings from the
finest of his flock (BeReishit 4:4). These instances, while
showing the elevation in Tanach of the flock, does not show
why a herd animal would need some form of atonement. This
can be explained by the העגל חטא, since the sin was done
through a golden calf, a baby cow, which would be included in
the "herd" designation.
However, we find a seeming reversal of the cow's
impurity in the אדומה פרה, whose ashes would allow one to be
purified after touching a dead body. The cow became a creature
representing both the gravest sin, זרה עבודה, and the greatest
form of purification, the אדומה פרה. This represents two possible
states for man - spreading of sin, or spreading of purity. Our
ancestors made both the עגל and the אדומה פרה a reality, and in a
very real sense, we can too. צאן were always good, but בקר
improved on itself. Therefore, we lay our hand upon the בקר's
head, since we want to be people who will, over the course of
many trials and tribulations, be pure in thought and action in
our service to Hashem.